It seemed like forever ago when the whole Trailviner, Waltzer mess happened. In reality it had been seven years. The Librarian, now in her mid forties, couldn’t quite remember all the details. She didn’t remember the how exactly they were transported from Oshkosh to Milwaukee during the Dreamer interrogation. Nor did she remember the faces of the many men and women who lost their lives in the subsequent Lorekeeper faction war. She did remember her heart sinking when she heard the Madison Lorekeepers had fallen and not knowing where of how Sonia was. She also remembered Miles, Alice, Arabella, and herself fighting their way out of Milwaukee against the Waltzers and Milwaukee Lorekeepers.
She remembered the marketplace during the battle. When Arabella got caught in the crossfire of the vicious gunfire, she’d run to her cover and patched her up as best she could. But it was useless; the woman who’d lasted so long, who’d fought against the Crawleys, Dreamers, and finally Lorekeepers was at last, dying. She remembered the look in Arabella’s eyes, the knowing stare. She sat next to her for a moment, then handed her a stolen rifle, an item she’d waited so long to use, and a bottle of vodka.
Standing to leave, The Librarian looked back at her one last time,
“Good luck, soldier.”
And that was the last time she’d seen her. With a combination of skill, luck, and perhaps divine providence, the rest had made it out alive. They ran out of Milwaukee with guns blazing and never looked back. It was probably the only time that The Librarian and Miles had worked so well together. The pair had managed to combine their skills to survive. Once out of the city, in the middle of the wheaten farm fields, Miles had parted with them. He said little, only that he’d had enough of life on land and wanted to return to the waters he loved so much. And with that he disappeared into the golden wheat, never looking back. About four years ago, the Librarian heard that he’d gotten his own boat and crew, even had a family, and was sailing the great lakes. So much for his bleak vision of life.
Alice and the Librarian, however, ended up sticking together, deciding they were stronger that way. They made their way safely into Madison, which was mostly dead. The enemy was gone and war had made it even more lifeless and barren than before. Panic fueled their journey back to the Library. Shockingly, it was completely unharmed and so was Sonia. The traps set by the Librarian and maintained by Sonia had effectively hidden and protected her. Sonia, smart as she was, was able to secretly transport several others into the safety of the Library. Families, students, and even a few last Lorekeepers had all come to the Library in sanctuary. By some miracle, amongst the refugees was even Alice's beloved guard. There they stayed for weeks until messengers sent word that the Crawleys, Trailvyners, and Dreamers had fought themselves into near extinction and powerlessness. The Librarian’s vision of Oshkosh, the hope that they would fight the Crawleys, was in the end, shot. Only greed, hate, and violence, on all sides, had been their downfall.
It was considered the second fall, the Apocalypse of the post-Apocalypse. But for the Librarian, Sonia, and Alice, it was only the beginning.
A year into the fall of the various factions, the Librarian led the survivors in a caravan across the continent. She tired of working as a gopher for factions. It had been time to start her own. No longer desiring her mind's need to be alone and veil her surroundings, she took action and changed the world along with herself. She called it. “The Light,” founding the group on the basis, not of greatness, but of self improvement and enlightenment. The idea was to not only lead a small, traveling civilization but also form a moving library. With the fall of the Crawley’s people could freely lend, trade, and sell books. With time, The Light spread. The caravan grew and followers could be found all over the north. From Fox Valley to Canada. It was a time of peace and growth. Schools started up, towns prospered, and steam technology finally spread to all.
The Librarian herself finally found herself at peace. After less than a decade, her movement was reasonably successful. Alice and Sonia had stayed with her after all. Sonia had become a teacher to all children in the caravan. Alice ran the moving Library from a business end and found eventually married a man who had once guarded the Madison market, traveling the world with her love. The Librarian stayed single. She preferred the solitude she found with her books. But now she had friends and students across the land. The world had proven a little cleaner, smarter, and brighter. She even found love and acceptance in the hearts of the people she had once feared and hated so much. Turns out an old dog could learn new tricks. And now she could finally live and teach others about the worlds in the books she loved so much, sharing her art and ideas. She was, and always would be, The Librarian.
She remembered the marketplace during the battle. When Arabella got caught in the crossfire of the vicious gunfire, she’d run to her cover and patched her up as best she could. But it was useless; the woman who’d lasted so long, who’d fought against the Crawleys, Dreamers, and finally Lorekeepers was at last, dying. She remembered the look in Arabella’s eyes, the knowing stare. She sat next to her for a moment, then handed her a stolen rifle, an item she’d waited so long to use, and a bottle of vodka.
Standing to leave, The Librarian looked back at her one last time,
“Good luck, soldier.”
And that was the last time she’d seen her. With a combination of skill, luck, and perhaps divine providence, the rest had made it out alive. They ran out of Milwaukee with guns blazing and never looked back. It was probably the only time that The Librarian and Miles had worked so well together. The pair had managed to combine their skills to survive. Once out of the city, in the middle of the wheaten farm fields, Miles had parted with them. He said little, only that he’d had enough of life on land and wanted to return to the waters he loved so much. And with that he disappeared into the golden wheat, never looking back. About four years ago, the Librarian heard that he’d gotten his own boat and crew, even had a family, and was sailing the great lakes. So much for his bleak vision of life.
Alice and the Librarian, however, ended up sticking together, deciding they were stronger that way. They made their way safely into Madison, which was mostly dead. The enemy was gone and war had made it even more lifeless and barren than before. Panic fueled their journey back to the Library. Shockingly, it was completely unharmed and so was Sonia. The traps set by the Librarian and maintained by Sonia had effectively hidden and protected her. Sonia, smart as she was, was able to secretly transport several others into the safety of the Library. Families, students, and even a few last Lorekeepers had all come to the Library in sanctuary. By some miracle, amongst the refugees was even Alice's beloved guard. There they stayed for weeks until messengers sent word that the Crawleys, Trailvyners, and Dreamers had fought themselves into near extinction and powerlessness. The Librarian’s vision of Oshkosh, the hope that they would fight the Crawleys, was in the end, shot. Only greed, hate, and violence, on all sides, had been their downfall.
It was considered the second fall, the Apocalypse of the post-Apocalypse. But for the Librarian, Sonia, and Alice, it was only the beginning.
A year into the fall of the various factions, the Librarian led the survivors in a caravan across the continent. She tired of working as a gopher for factions. It had been time to start her own. No longer desiring her mind's need to be alone and veil her surroundings, she took action and changed the world along with herself. She called it. “The Light,” founding the group on the basis, not of greatness, but of self improvement and enlightenment. The idea was to not only lead a small, traveling civilization but also form a moving library. With the fall of the Crawley’s people could freely lend, trade, and sell books. With time, The Light spread. The caravan grew and followers could be found all over the north. From Fox Valley to Canada. It was a time of peace and growth. Schools started up, towns prospered, and steam technology finally spread to all.
The Librarian herself finally found herself at peace. After less than a decade, her movement was reasonably successful. Alice and Sonia had stayed with her after all. Sonia had become a teacher to all children in the caravan. Alice ran the moving Library from a business end and found eventually married a man who had once guarded the Madison market, traveling the world with her love. The Librarian stayed single. She preferred the solitude she found with her books. But now she had friends and students across the land. The world had proven a little cleaner, smarter, and brighter. She even found love and acceptance in the hearts of the people she had once feared and hated so much. Turns out an old dog could learn new tricks. And now she could finally live and teach others about the worlds in the books she loved so much, sharing her art and ideas. She was, and always would be, The Librarian.